Cheney Stifled Energy Probe, GAO Investigators Say

[The Backlash Cometh]

Congressional investigators said on Monday that Vice President Dick Cheney had stymied their investigation into his energy task force by refusing to turn over key documents.

The General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, said it was impossible to tell how much energy companies or industry groups may have influenced the task force's 2001 report because the administration withheld important records.

"The extent to which submissions from any of these stakeholders were solicited, influenced policy deliberations or were incorporated into the final report is not something that we can determine based on the limited information at our disposal," the GAO said.

Administration officials did not account for much of the money spent on the task force and could not remember whether anyone took official notes during the 10 Cabinet-level meetings the group held in 2001, the investigators said.

The report came more than eight months after a federal judge rejected the GAO's demand that the administration turn over task force records.

More at Reuters:

http://www.reuters.com/
(Scroll down to politics)

[alfredo]

1. their grasp of the obvious is astounding.

[benfranklin1776]

2. This is a precious gem

"Administration officials did not account for much of the money spent on the task force and could not
remember whether anyone took official notes during the 10 Cabinet-level meetings the group held in
2001, the investigators said."

So this task force convened at the expense of the taxpayer to conduct official business but no one can recall if anyone bothered to even take notes on this "IMPORTANT" work????? RIIIGHT. More memory lapses about activities which constitute an abuse of the public trust. Just like with Nixon and Watergate and George Senior during Iran Contra. Why is this not in the least bit surprising. This issue cannot die particularly at a time when the American energy consumer is getting and will continue to get the royal shafting from the same price gougers that gave Dickie boy advice.

[TacticalPeek]

6. When "could not remember" becomes "have no specific recollection". . .

then it's popcorn time.

[Stevendsmith]

3. When Will Cheney Fry for This Abomination?

When will this secretive enemy of the Republic be exposed for the industry whore he is? My god, it's so blatently obvious that a handpicked group of energy and oil companies (namely, Enron) that financed the Bush-Cheney ticket wrote our nation's energy policy. This story keeps popping up, but it never goes anywhere! Where is Congress on this? Where is the fucking accountability.

God Dammit!

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. I suspect that they're churning this news because...

it's expected that an energy policy will be considered due to the northeast blackouts; and responsible newspeople want us to remember that if they ramrod an energy policy, it will most likely be the one that is tainted by Cheney and his secret meetings.

[haymaker]

8. Believe me, that Northeast blackout was no accident.

That will be their big push when they get back from their annual drinking binge. Funny how they cannot pinpoint why it happened.

[chiburb]

12. They "can't" pinpoint the cause because...

The cause was a Bush "Pioneer". Another Ken Lay that will never see a courtroom until after the '04 elections.

[lindashaw]

14. Did you ever try to grab hold of an eel?

[revcarol]

19. Don't fergit the "nu-ku-lar."

The nu-ku-lar power plant indistry was also at the meetings, so it's not just big erl.
Why do you think Bush just happened to "change his mind" on Yucca Flats? Nevada has to pay the piper for Cheney's rotten policies!! And did they every really get increased security at nuclear plants? Last time I heard it was incompetent rent-a-cops...

[hang a left]

4. What pisses me to no end

Is that the Federal judge who was appointed by whistle-ass a year earlier is the on who made the ruling that the GAO didn't have the right to request the documents.

[leftchick]

7. this is "News"???

Have we not known this for the last 2 1/2 f***ing Years?

[rucky]

9. Judicial Watch & Sierra Club are On The Case...

of course they don't really have the same funding to pursue Cheney as they did for Clinton, but they are making progress...

www.judicialwatch.org - lotsa good related links/articles (and some wacky ones) from home page

Yes, Klayman is a conservative *-wad... but there's no way around the fact that he's doing good this time.

[Kbowe]

10. So why isn't the media making this a HEADLINE?

oK, i know why!

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. The story seems to be spreading. Now the Washington Post is

carrying it:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43734-2003Aug25.html

[lindashaw]

13. John Dingell is kind of a bulldog on things like this...

I hope he doesn't become discouraged and give up.

[salin]

15. Good news. I thought that when they dropped the case

that nothing more about the obstruction (of Congress) would ever appear in print again. Wonder what (who) stirred it back up - at this time - when the energy bills based on this task force's work is in congressional conference committee.

[VolcanoJen]

16. Donkey Kick!!!!

:dem:

[JohnOneillsMemory]

17. The obvious, Energy Policy=economic and military strategy...

And mainstream press won't say outloud even this generalized framework to understand 'our' government's behaviour. Darh!! All the piles of evidence that pirates are having an oil war and this won't be heard out loud from Dan Rather's well-paid brownish lips.

[Zhade]

18. Mark this one from the "DUH" department

Also, this just in: Bush wasn't legally elected, the world hates him, and the sky is blue.